Given me back my job, Helen

GREG TAIPARI and REBECCA DEVINE | 20th October 2007

Peter Blincoe doesn't care about the minimum wage - he just wants a job.

The 43-year-old Rotorua man, who is intellectually disabled, has been earning $50 a week assembling hardware components through contracts gained by IHC's service provision arm IDEA Services.

While it's menial work, it gave him a sense of worth and he's upset new legislation will see him lose his job. He has a message for New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark - "Give me back my job Helen. I want to stay working here."

A new act being introduced at the end of this month will repeal the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion (DPEP) Act and require that he receive the minimum wage of $11.25 an hour, before tax - $450 for a 40-hour week.

The DPEP Act introduced in 1960 exempted operators of sheltered workshops from employment conditions that applied to employers in the open labour market. For 47 years, operators have been able to pay disabled people who work for them less than the minimum wage.

Peter said he didn't care what he was paid - he just wanted to work and save money for a planned trip to Australia.

His sister Gail White said it would be sad for her brother not to be able to continue doing what he enjoyed.

"He will be sitting around virtually doing nothing. His job gives him independence."

Merenia Corbett, the community support worker at Idea Services Rotorua (formerly IHC), said Peter worked three days a week and was always excited when he was given work. Others like him would also be out of work.

"I feel sad for the guys, most of them are devastated ... They love it, they all get excited when they get a contract to do."

IHC communications manager Philippa Sellens said people with intellectual disabilities had told IHC they wanted real pay for real work so the first preference was to encourage employers and communities to employ people.

Ms Sellens said she did not believe Peter and his colleagues would "lose their jobs". If they did not meet the requirements to gain employment they could apply for an exemption to the Act.



In Taupo, parents are angry over the closure of an IDEA-run ironing service.

Ian Gillard's 37-year-old daughter Catherine was paid 50c an hour at Downtown Ironing where she worked for 10 years.

It has now closed and Mr Gillard, a former president of the Taupo branch of IHC, said it would have a huge effect on Catherine and others who worked there.



While the intention was good, the reality meant disabled people would miss out, he said.

Ms Sellens said the Taupo ironing service was closing because not enough people wanted to work there and staff were doing much of the work.